In the unlikely case you needed a reason to drink more coffee, a new study from the American Heart Association just validated brewing that extra pot: Scientists concluded that drinking up to five cups of black, paper-filtered or instant coffee a day is generally safe and might even be associated with a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, and heart failure.
In the spirit of that happy news, the South has a thriving specialty coffee scene that centers on sustainability, thoughtful sourcing, fair trade, and great roasts. Below, find five can’t-miss roasters across the region that will ship right to your door.
Onyx Coffee Lab
Arkansas
In 2012, husband-and-wife duo Jon and Andrea Allen opened Onyx Coffee Lab in Springdale, Arkansas, serving freshly roasted coffee by the cup and bag. Since then, Onyx has become one of the most decorated specialty shops in the country—just this year, it was ranked number one on a list of the world’s best coffee shops. The Allens source from roasters globally—and with next-level transparency, publish prices and data from every step of their supply chains. You can visit one of the seven brick-and-mortars sprinkled over northwest Arkansas, or sign up for their roaster’s choice subscription, and they’ll send you a 10-ounce bag of beans however often you need it.
Counter Culture
North Carolina
Sustainability has always been a core mission at Counter Culture—in 1997, founders Brett Smith and Fred Houk came out with a bird-friendly line of coffee called Sanctuary that was shade-grown—one of the first roasters in the country to offer this more environmentally friendly option. Today, the most popular offering in their subscription service is a rotating case of single-origin bags from growers who still align with that original mission.
PERC
Georgia
Panther’s Eyes Roasting Company—PERC, for short—started when founder Philip Brown began roasting as a one-man show and selling the resulting bags from his backpack as he biked around Savannah. Today, PERC has six locations in Georgia, four of which are in Atlanta, and roasts and ships beans anywhere, with fun tasting notes like creamsicle and tootsie roll or spice cake and honey.
Black & White Coffee Roasters
North Carolina
Black & White Coffee Roasters was founded in 2017 by a pair of U.S. barista champions, Kyle Ramage and Lem Butler, who wanted to bring competition-quality coffee to everyday drinkers. Started in Wake Forest, the company offers meticulously sourced coffees from producers around the world, and publishes the details of each release’s farm, variety, and processing method. Plus, they even offer instant coffee for when you’re in a pinch, and if you’re flying through Raleigh, there’s an outpost tucked in terminal two.
Prevail
Alabama
After years working in the nonprofit sector, Megan and Wade Preston wanted to start a business that would support growers in developing nations. They opened Prevail in downtown Auburn in 2012 with thoughtful sourcing at the center of their mission, and soon expanded into a wholesale roasting enterprise. Select a single origin from Colombia, Ethiopia, Guatemala, or Rwanda, or a blend like the Cicada Cold Brew, meant for summer.
Lindsey Liles joined Garden & Gun in 2020 after completing a master’s in literature in Scotland and a Fulbright grant in Brazil. The Arkansas native is G&G’s digital reporter, covering all aspects of the South, and she especially enjoys putting her biology background to use by writing about wildlife and conservation. She lives on Johns Island, South Carolina.